to calm myself. Next, aerosol cans emerge on the ends of the robotic arms. “Lift arms . . . lift arms . . . lift arms,” the fem-bot voice chants.
“Stop, you piece of junk!”
“Lift arms . . . Lift arms . . . Lift arms . . .”
Tentatively, I raise my hands a little. The voice continues to chant, “Lift arms . . . lift arms . . .” I keep raising them until they’re over my head.
The aerosol cans whirl around me, spraying every area on my body except my head. All my unwanted body hair disappears in an instant.
When the robotic arms reach the floor, the aerosol cans retract inside the automated arms. In their place, long slender knitting needles emerge on the ends of two of the arms while smaller needles present themselves on the other two. Threads spool out between the needles, weaving and sewing golden fabric around me as they rise up from the floor. When the robotic arms reach the top of my head, I’m attired in a flimsy gold-colored two-piece bathing suit. The whirling, deadly-sharp chopstick fingers descend again, this time spinning a web of see-through golden fabric around me. A golden tullelike wrap skirt circles my waist to my toes.
The mechanical arms rise to my head again. As they descend once more, the same shimmery golden fabric is woven around my shoulders and arms. When the arms slip away back into the floor, the dark cylinder surrounding me becomes a reflective mirror. I stare at my image. I’m attired in a golden cover-up with a long train that flows out behind me. Beneath it, a bathing suit is my only other cover.
“Do you require grooming?” the fem-bot voice asks.
“Ur . . . okay?” I murmur with a bit of apprehension.
“Shall I pair your grooming with your attire?” the automated voice inquires.
“Ahh, sure.”
The robotic hands come up from the floor again, but this time they’re not scissors or needles; they’re brushes and combs. In less than a minute, my hair is brushed and swept up in a high ponytail with intricate braids throughout.
After the arms disappear once more into the floor, the voice asks, “Do you require further assistance?”
“No,” I reply. The cylinder drops back down into small slats in the floor, and I’m left again in the middle of the room. My hands slide over the soft material of my outfit. I look down at myself. Golden sandals lie near my feet. I slip them on—a perfect fit.
Facing the doors that lead back to the bedroom, I tiptoe to them. I nudge the lever, opening the door a crack. Peering out, I don’t see Kyon anywhere. He’s not on the bed where I left him. Squaring my shoulders, I open one door wider, taking a tentative step outside the dressing room. My skin prickles, and I sense Kyon before I feel his hand come to rest firmly on the back of my neck. Every cell in my body reacts when I look up to see him beside me. He must’ve been leaning against the wall, waiting for me to open the door. He traded the white sheet around his hips for midnight blue swim shorts that show the obscene V-shape of his abdomen. His bare chest is disgustingly perfect and covered only by his black tattoo.
Hiding my fear of him within an annoyed expression, I continue to walk in the direction I was going. I try to outpace him so that his hand will drop from the nape of my neck, but he slows me with a warning squeeze.
“Breakfast is ready on the terrace,” he says in a satisfied murmur near my ear. I wonder at his tone for a moment until he says, “Number three thirty-three looks even better on you than I imagined.”
I don’t reply. Passing through the room out onto the terrace, I approach the round stone table. A kitelike awning extends over the table, shielding us from the glare of the tropical sun. Kyon pulls out a cushioned chair for me. It’s so big and tall that my feet barely reach the stone patio.
A levitating service cart is waiting near us. Kyon retrieves pewter-covered dishes from its surface. He places a platter in front of me. The lid lifts from it on its own, resting on a hinge. The aroma of pancakes rises. I inhale, my mouth watering. My eyes shift to Kyon’s plate as he sits next to me. He has something that looks like boiled squid